Friday, February 12, 2010

Tantrum Times

The toddler boy in this house has officially mastered a full blown tantrum. He screams, cries and wriggles his body every which way. This morning, after a pleasant bath, he was wrapped, "nice and warm," in a towel. I was able to pull his bottom half out and get a diaper, socks and pants on. As soon as I unwrapped the towel from his shoulders, it was over.

He started screaming at full volume and would have nothing to do with the shirt I was attempting to pull over his head. He pulled at it violently with his hands and moved his head back and forth. "Back on! Back on!" he shouted. My mothering instincts kicked in, I first threatened with the time out and then attempted to thwart his attempts to push the shirt away.

From personal experience, toddlers will listen to you reasonably, but not when they are in a state of crazy. After the shirt was on and he had calmed down a tad, I told him that the towel was wet and cold and that if he wanted to be wrapped in a warm blanket, we could find a different one. That appeased the beast within him and a meek, "Ok," came out from his lips. He sat on the couch wrapped up in the blanket that Aunt Ashley made for him for an hour or so, content and happy.